Great Lakes Powwow Stresses Indian Awareness in Dances and Meetings

MARQUETTE, Mich., Oct. 7 —With two black braids swing ing above the shoulders of his bright red jacket, Dickey Laugh ing, a Mohawk from Akwesasne in upstate New York, stomp danced around the ground floor of the Holiday Inn here.

Stomping behind him was Ladonna Harris, a Comanche who is president of Americans for Indian Opportunity and the wife of Senator Fred R. Harris, Democrat of Oklahoma. She had come here from making speech earlier Tuesday at nearby Northern Michigan Uni versity.

Their stomp‐dancing a form of social dancing performed by Many North American tribes while singing, was part of the festivities marking the second annual Great Lakes Indian Awareness Powwow. Their at tire ranged from Levi's to tradi tional dress.

The week was designed to produce among non‐Indian dele gates an awareness of Indian needs, aspirations and history as well as to reinforce Indian self‐awareness. Formal pow wows, the late‐night stomp dances, lectures, concerts and art exhibits all emphasized the theme of Indianness.

“It used to be that in order to get an education you had to give up your Indianness,” Mrs. Harris told her audience. “That's all been changed. That's what Indian Awareness Week is all about. We know who we are and we are proud of it. Indian people are beginning to do things for themselves.”

“It is the plight of the urban Indians that is the catalyst for the national awakening of In dians. They had to cross tribal barriers in order to fight the cities' poverty culture.

“The United States is really not a melting pot when it comes to dark and brown skinned people,” Mrs. Harris said. “American whites don't understand other people. They want to convert them into peo ple like themselves. ‘Join our church, join our fraternity, marry us to get rid of your dark skin,’ they say. American whites fail to recognize the beauty of being different.”

The activities were sponsored by the organization of North American Indian Students of Northern Michigan University and its monthly national news paper, The Nishnawbe News, in cooperation with Northern Michigan University, which un derwrote a large portion of the expenses, including travel of dancers and speakers.

The first two days were de voted to Indian unity meetings and powwows at which dancers contested for prizes. An outdoor Indian feast drdw more than 250 Indians, accord ing to Michael Wright, editor of the Nishnawbe News. This was, an increase of 100 over last year. The Indians had traveled as much as 500 miles to get here, Mr. Wright said.

At a dinner Monday night Dr. John X. Jamrich, president of the university, said that the university had committed itself to programs for North Ameri can Indians. These efforts, he said, have included subsidizing the initial stages of getting the Nishnawbe News into, produc tion and circulation as a vital communication link between Indians throughout the nation.

The university has also re tained Robert Bailey, an Ot towa from Southern Michigan, as Indian coordinator. His prin cipal goal is to work with secondary schools and their In dian students to encourage them to attend institutions of higher learning.

Dr. Jamrich explained later that the university already had a black program but that be cause “the Indians are, in out backyard” while the Upper Peninsula black community is small, “we have a greater obli gation to the American Indian.”

He explained that the aca demic emphasis et the univer sity was to give Indian students courses in their own history and culture, “and to provide training for the world of work, business and industry, for law, education and medi cine.” There are some 30 young men and women enrolled this year.

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A version of this archives appears in print on October 8, 1972, on Page 73 of the New York edition with the headline: Great Lakes Powwow Stresses Indian Awareness in Dances and Meetings. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe